Amanda and the Hendersons

  Once upon a time there was a baby boy..... One day he left the warmth of his mother's womb and was born into this sometimes cold and often harsh world..... It was a day to be remembered....a day to celebrate... He was born. Plummeted into the arms of his eager mother..... the second son, a brother...... He had been prayed for, hoped for.... longed for..... He was a gift.... a blessing..... As his mother looked down upon his tiny face, she saw nothing but beauty and love..... for she had never imagined her heart had been large enough to love two children completely.... but in that moment, she had no doubt..... She touched his tiny cheek and daydreamed of his life to come..... the future sound of his voice, the curve of his smile, the giggles she would someday hear...... She filled up further with joy as her first born son rushed in to meet his new brother.....not quite two years old but already filling the role quite nicely..

 Tonight was a gift. A simple gift.... nothing fancy,..... Just a cruise with our family, scoping out Christmas lights and sipping on hot chocolate.... But the simplicity filled my cup..... The giggles and the ooooo's and awe's were enough. Because simplicity is often denied to many...... and I refuse to take for granted this day..... these simple gifts.... This Christmas means mountains more than ever before.... and I pray for simplicity.... Appreciation... Joy.... Happiness..... and clarity as to what it means to celebrate this particular holiday.... We are blessed beyond measure.... and one of our biggest blessings may be that we have been given a glimpse into the truth of how fleeting time can be..... Nights like tonight.... nights that ooze normalcy.... the stars shining... the children laughing.... they are worth savoring...... Hope you are blessed....

It had been weeks since Parklen had left the house......Weeks.... He doesn't go anywhere.... Most days, his world ends at the walls of this home...... We dropped Paysen off at school on Monday.... and watched him run onto the playground....... Parky waved out the window and made plenty of comments about all of the kids playing.... Phinlynn was talking in her sweetest voice, pointing at things and asking Parklen to look....."PARKY!  PARKY!" I glanced at the clock, we had just enough time to make one stop before heading home to meet Parklen's teacher for his daily lessons..... "Hey buddy, should we go grab a treat?" "YES!!! YES please mom!!" so I headed down town,,,, I had about a million things on my mind... things I needed to do... things I had forgotten to do.... and the pounding force of pain that is ever present within my head.... but it all just disappeared as I heard excited squeals from the b